Our Staff

The staff at Pacific Crest is a talented, enthusiastic and committed group of people who work closely together to coordinate the curricular program, and develop individually tailored courses of study with each student. Each staff member offers a range of talents and interests to the school, in addition to a strong background in their subject area.

Jenny Osborne

Director

Jenny Osborne

Director

B.A. SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY
M.A.T. LEWIS AND CLARK COLLEGE

The director and co-founder of Pacific Crest, Jenny brings a commitment to youth and education that spans a 25+ year career. She values the collaborative approach among students and teachers at Pacific Crest and enjoys facilitating these collaborations. She loves teaching math and Shakespeare, cooking and playing music.
“A lot of kids are used to taking a passive role in their education. It’s important to get them out of that role so they can take ownership of their learning. We’re good at giving kids some direction so they can take the wheel.”

Jordia Blumenstein

Language Arts & Service Learning Coordinator

Jordia Blumenstein

Language Arts & Service Learning Coordinator

B.S. OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY 2002
M.A.T. LEWIS & CLARK COLLEGE 2004

Jordia’s passion for teaching language arts is firmly grounded in her equal passion for learning, creativity, and in her conviction that there is “adventure to be found in reading and writing.” In the classroom, she encourages students to mobilize their curiosity, and desire to explore the world, through a variety of literary studies and writing projects.

Outside the classroom, she set up volunteer opportunities for students to share the adventure by working with S.M.A.R.T. In addition to classroom teaching, Jordia leads the PCCS Service Learning Program, which offers students yet another way to explore - and shape - their world through a range of service learning projects connected with Habitat For Humanity, Tryon Farm, Oregon Food Bank and City Repair, among others.

Lizzy Cleland

Math

Lizzy Cleland

Math

BA, Earlham College
MAT, Earlham College

Lizzy Cleland has 10 years of teaching experience spanning two countries (the US and Japan) and four states. Lizzy started as a history teacher but soon learned that math, with its concrete answers and dorky jokes was where her heart truly lay. Math is a subject often despised by students and Lizzy’s quest has been to convince every last math hater that they are both capable of doing math, and can learn to enjoy it. She also teaches Japanese and has taught a variety of science classes including a class on climate change, a topic she’s particularly passionate about. Lizzy is a denizen of the coffee shops around Pacific Crest and will always set aside her work to answer a math question.

Chelsea Denlow

Social Studies

Chelsea Denlow

Social Studies

BA, Colorado College
MA, Webster University

Chelsea brings with her a passion for experiential education and following the learning, wherever it goes. She enjoys teaching a wide variety of social studies classes, always interweaving themes of social justice and service learning, and creating authentic experiences for her students. Chelsea holds various Outdoor Education certifications and enjoys getting her students out of the classroom. She believes traveling and adventures are the best way to learn, and devotes her summers to practicing what she preaches.

Julie Dieringer

Administrative Assistant

Julie Dieringer

Administrative Assistant

BFA, Oregon State University

Julie loves to organize and enthusiastically jumped at the opportunity to serve the creative, funny, collaborative team of teachers at Pacific Crest. More importantly, she thrives on helping the students with anything they need; printing reports, un-jamming the copy machine, using the paper cutter, applying band-aids, offering tissue, listening to stories, etc. Prior to joining the Pacific Crest staff Julie worked as a merchandiser and buyer at Nordstrom for 30 years. Julie has twin middle schoolers and loves the perspective working at Pacific Crest brings to her understanding of them. When she's not making life for the students and staff at Pacific Crest easier, Julie can be found camping, reading or digging in the garden.

Richard Fraser

Math and Science

Richard Fraser

Math and Science

BS, University of Oregon
MAT, Pacific University

Driven by a passion for experiential learning and intellectual curiosity, Rich approaches the sciences, mathematics and live action games from a practical point of view. ‘How’ and ‘why’ are two of his favorite words. Whether delving into physical phenomena, the art of constructing foam swords or how to best remove a stump, he strives to relate learning to life. To Rich, authenticity, imagination and creativity are essential both in and outside of the classroom. Aside from more traditional curriculum, Rich is also a maker, a gardener and wilderness survivalist.

Sonja Gallagher

Math

Sonja Gallagher

Math

BA, Wellesley College
MA and PhD, University of California Santa Barbara

Sonja has been teaching math to high school and college students since 2003, and still discovers something new in every single class. She believes that math is learned by doing, and asks students to be active partners as they explore new mathematical ideas. The intersection of mathematics with history, culture, and current events inspires her development of elective classes beyond the traditional math curriculum.

Outside of school, you'll find Sonja gardening, hanging out with her family, and keeping tabs on the best pizza and ice cream spots in Portland.

Abby Houston

Visual Arts

Abby Houston

Abby Houston has been painting up a storm at Pacific Crest Community School since the 2014-2015 academic year. With over 10 years of experience teaching art in an alternative school setting, Abby seeks to create a learning environment where engaging materials and the hands-on process drive student exploration. Abby’s favorite classes to teach include traditional courses such Ceramics, Life Drawing and Printmaking along with more experimental offerings such as The Art of Doll Making, InstaPhotography and Project Runway. Abby spends her free time prioritizing visits to garage sales, playing at the park with her children and throwing the occasional piece of pottery on her wheel at home.

Barry Hunt

Theatre Arts

Barry Hunt

Theatre Arts

B.A. INDIANA UNIVERSITY
BILL ESPER STUDIO, NEW YORK

FOUNDER, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR SOWELU THEATRE

As a busy theatre professional, Barry brings a wealth of experience to his work at Pacific Crest where he has taught theatre arts since 1997. His extensive background in stage, film and TV acting, along with his work as director in independent theatre companies here in Portland (Stark Raving Theatre and Sowelu Theatre) give his classes both artistic and practical depth.

His approach to theatre is socially engaged, (he also teaches workshops in the community for professional adults, at-risk youth and incarcerated women), and committed to creative collaboration that “comes from a position of truth.” Whether he’s running a production of a student-authored experimental play or Music Man, Barry says his mission is to “awaken the truthful artist in the individual, and to create an uncensored environment that encourages personal expression in dialogue with others.”

Kurt Maier

Social Studies

Kurt Maier

Social Studies

B.A. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE 1991
SECONDARY TEACHING CERTIFICATION IN HISTORY & ENGLISH - EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY 1996

With nearly twenty years of experience as an educator, and a heritage of education in both parents (also teachers), Kurt says he’s “genetically engineered to be a teacher” and it shows. Teaching for Kurt is all about relationship building, collaboration and the moment-by-moment epiphanies that go with “building knowledge together” with his students. He calls it “emergent curriculum,” which is the art and practice of identifying what each student needs to learn, and then designing an approach that creates understanding, but also teaches students how to take charge of and facilitate their own learning.

Maybe that also explains why Kurt loves teaching West African drumming in his spare time. Whether it’s in the classroom or in a drum circle, there is joy and discovery when everyone’s in synch and adding to the rhythm.

Tigerin Peare

The Sciences

Tigerin Peare

The Sciences

B.S. CORNELL UNIVERSITY
PH.D. OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY

Tigerin directs the science program at Pacific Crest using a hands-on approach that includes projects, field trips and natural resources service work. Her classes emphasize solid scientific skills combined with a strong sense of ethics and community service. She also offers natural sciences classes at the Youth Employment Institute, and enjoys canoeing in her rare moments of free time.

“I would like kids to learn that in order to achieve something, you have to work hard. As a science teacher I think it’s important for students to question things, develop analytical skills and build their knowledge base.”

David Raish

Spanish

David Raish

Spanish

B.A. EMORY UNIVERSITY
M.ED. HARVARD UNIVERSITY

Having spent two years living and teaching in South America (Ecuador, Chile), David brings a real-world, cultural perspective to his work as Spanish teacher. His holistic approach to language teaching includes music, films and special projects designed to bring Spanish to life for students.

“It’s important to see Spanish as a real language people use everyday. If you’re motivated to have fun and learn and do creative things, this is a good place.”

Lettie Jane Rennekamp

Visual Arts

Lettie Jane Rennekamp

Visual Arts

BFA, San Francisco Art Institute

Lettie believes that all of us have a creative drive and anyone can turn this into art. “The desire to make things and engage in creative dialogues is a uniquely human trait and I’ve been really enjoying cultivating these qualities in my students at Pacific Crest."
Lettie has been a working artist and illustrator in Portland for the last ten years. She attended Rhode Island School of Design and holds a BFA in printmaking from the San Francisco Art institue.

Sara Sorenson

Spanish, Technology

Sara Sorenson

Spanish, Technology

B.A. UNIVERSITY OF OREGON, 2001
M.A.T. CONCORDIA COLLEGE, 2011

Sara is quick to describe herself as “a straight shooter who values expressing truth through humor.” This comes naturally from her mother’s proud roots in Zaragoza, Spain, where people are fond of saying that Castilian Spanish is quite simply the “language of God.” Add to this, Sara’s All-State high school softball honor, her punk rock band called the Ünïcörnz and her love of games (digital, analog, table-top, you name it), and it’s easy to understand her approach to teaching.

“Kids learn when you build a relationship with them and when they’re having fun.” She says her goal, whether it’s teaching Spanish or technology, is to capture as many skills as possible in a given lesson - speaking, writing, organizing information – and to show students how to add artistry to it that will engage them at every level. Sound bold, busy and energetic? That would be a yes.

Jeffrey Struck

Language Arts and Philosophy

Jeffrey Struck

A passion for literature-based Continental philosophy, a writer’s enthusiasm for the power and potential of the written word — and a wacky sense of existential humor (if that’s even possible) — that’s our Jeff. Oh, and he’s a pretty good bicycle racer, too. That’s what he says anyway.

“The small class sizes at Pacific Crest eliminate many of the barriers between teachers and students so that it’s much closer to the ideal collaborative model where you can be creative and personal and an advocate for students.”